The Redd

March 1, 2019

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By Doe Hatfield

The wait is over for local food buyers, Portland party planners, food system futurists, and curious commuters of SE Portland. The Redd on Salmon St. is now complete.

It’s the newest big project of Ecotrust, the Portland-based nonprofit who for nearly thirty years has worked with rural and urban communities across the Northwest for equity, the economy, and the environment.

Now, less than four years after founder Spencer Beebe led the organization in making a big bet on a century-old former ironworks, the Redd is poised to advance local food and ignite new opportunities from two blocks between SE 7th and SE 9th on SE Salmon St. in Portland’s Central Eastside.

A first-of-its-kind campus, Redd goes beyond farm-to-table and food hub concepts by pairing an incubator and last-mile distribution warehouse spurred by research (Redd West), with a world-class center for public engagement (Redd East).

With the campus today serving more than 170 food businesses and five core tenants, Ecotrust estimates it will welcome 70,000 visitors in 2019 to engage, learn and celebrate.

Wrapped in FSC-certified Pacific Northwest wood, filled with natural light and powered by a solar array, the 76,000-square-foot Redd campus is a sustainably repurposed campus that delivers in-demand food system functions, spaces for elevated experiences, and inspired design.

The Redd exemplifies Ecotrust’s approach to economic growth that is literally rooted in the soil, waters, and forests of the region. Agriculture, ranching, fishing, food production, forestry, engaging events, and green building are converging at the campus.

The Redd is now renting event space and welcoming the public to join campus tours the campus and visit its businesses, including Portland Pupusas and Taqueria.